Overview
James family papers collected by the family of Margaret Mary James Porter.
Dates
- Creation: 1862-1978 and undated
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Collection is open for research.
Extent
1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)Includes letters, compositions, photographs, drawings, and printed items by and relating to various generations of the James family, spanning from 1862 to 1978. Prominent correspondents include Leon Edel, Alice Howe Gibbens James, Henry James, William James, Margaret Mary James Porter, and many others. Compositions include items by Margaret Mary James Porter, Henry James III, and William James Jr. There are many printed clippings, articles, and reprints concerning Henry James Sr., Henry James Jr., and William James, as well as other printed James family-related items. Collection includes extensive James family photographs and photograph albums including carte-de-visite (card photographs), cabinet photographs, photographic postcards, drawings, as well as an original pen and ink self-portrait drawing by George Du Maurier.
Biographical / Historical
This collection was compiled by the family of Margaret Mary James Porter (1887-1950) and her husband, architect Robert Bruce Porter (1865-1953). Margaret Mary James Porter ("Peggy") was the daughter of Alice Howe Gibbens James and the philosopher William James (1842-1910). Margaret's siblings were: Garth Wilkinson James (1845-1883), Henry James III (1879-1947), William James, Jr. (1882-1961), and Alexander Robertson James (1890-1946). She was also the favorite niece of her uncle, the novelist Henry James (1843-1916). Her James grandparents were: Henry James Sr. (1811-1882) and Mary Robertson Walsh James (1810-1882).
Arrangement
Arranged into the following series:
- I. Correspondence
- II. Compositions
- III. Miscellany
- IV. Images, loose
- V. Photograph albums
- VI. Oversized images
Physical Location
b, pf
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2002M-44. Purchased with the Warren, Phillips, Appell, and Amy Lowell funds; received: 2002 October 17.
Collection formerly belonged to a Ms. Rogers, the grand-daughter of Bruce Porter and Mary Margaret James Porter.
See curatorial file for dealer's notes on these contents, which are of a more speculative nature.
Processing Information
Processed by: Bonnie B. Salt
- Title
- James family. James family additional papers, 1862-1978: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou02465
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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